Report sees cardiac ultrasound growth

A new report published by Frost & Sullivan of Mountain View,CA, predicts that ultrasound's share of the cardiac imaging marketwill grow in coming years, while that of x-ray and nuclear medicinedeclines. The publication claims that the worldwide market forcardiac medical imaging equipment will hit $2.09 billion in revenuesin 2002, compared with $1.66 billion last year: a 3% annual growthrate.

The report, entitled World Cardiac Diagnostic Imaging EquipmentMarket, states that echocardiography's market share in cardiacimaging will rise from 38% in 1995 to 41% in 2002, while cardiac-basedx-ray will fall from 43% to 42% and nuclear medicine will declinefrom 13% to 12% in the same period. CT had 4% of the cardiac imagingmarket in 1995 and MRI had 2%.

Frost & Sullivan researchers believe that the move towardless invasive procedures will benefit other modalities at theexpense of x-ray catheterization, with echocardiography and cardiacMRI being major beneficiaries.

Prices have eroded 25% over the last three years in some cardiacimaging segments, according to the report.